Magazine lead pencil



Jan. 29, 1929.

A. WOELM MAGAZINE LEAD PENCIL Original Filed April 27, 1925 Patented Jan. 29, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT? OFFICE.

ALFRED WOELM, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO PENCIL MECHANISM CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OE NEW YORK.

MAGAZINE LEAD PENCIL.

Application iiled April 27, 1925, Serial No. 28,011. Renewed April 26, 1928.

This invention relates to mechanical lead pencils of the step-by-step type, and in its more particular aspects is directed to the provision of an improved pencil of the general type set forth in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 642,858, filed June 1, 1923, of which the present application is in part a continuation.

An object of the invention is to provide a step-'by-step mechanical pencil which will efficiently accomplish the purposes for which it is intended, which is simple and sturdy in construction, and which may be readily and economically manufactured and assembled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a step-by-step pencil mechanism which may be disassembled with extreme ease.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pencil which combines simplicity of construction with certainty of operation.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. t

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which my improved magazine lead pencil.

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken in the direction of the arrows along the line 22 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the gripper carrying sleeve of my improved pencil.

The same reference characters refer to the same 'parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the outer casing the lower end of which is tapered, 2 the inner tube which is slidable within the casing 1 and the upper end of which is attached, by means of screw threads or in any other suitable manner, the cap 3. Gentrally mounted within and carried by the casing 1 is a slotted lead-guide tube 4, to the upper end of which is attached the lead table or magazine bottom 5, the underside of which is t ne shaped as illustrated. The guide tube Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through 4 is here shown as being fastened into the casing l by being screwed into an internal cone shaped member 10, which, co-actin with the cone shaped split tip 12 grips firm the tapered lower end of the casing 1. ome other suitable means of attaching the tube 4 to the casing 1 may be substituted if desired.

Shdable upon the guide tube 4 is a gripper carrying sleeve 6, the upper end of which is slotted ongltudinally so as to receive a air of grippers 7, and grooved circumferentially so as to receive the bin e ring 11 on which the grippers 7 pivot. T e upper end of the sleeve 6 is fastened to the lower end of the inner tube 2 in any suitable manner, as by means of prick unches.

The backs of t e grippers 7 are notched to fit the hlnge ring 11, and the lower ends of the gr1ppers are tapered inwardly and upwardly to form cam faces.

Slidable upon the lower part of the sleeve 6 1s a disc or washer 8, the upper side of which is preferably concaved, normally held in contact with the lower ends of the grippers by means of the helical spring 9.

The operation of my improved pencil is as follows: A number of leads being placed in the magazine (the space inside of the inner tube which lies above the member 5) one of them wiLl drop by gravity into the upper end of the lead guide tube 4 and will be engaged by the grippers 7. By depressing the cap 3 the inner tube 2, the sleeve 6 carrying the grippers 7, and the disc 8, will be forced downward against the tension of the spring 9. This movement will carry the upper ends of the grippers out of contact with the coneshaped underside of the member 5. After the parts have moved downward a distance sufficient to permit the upper end of the grippers to be swung inwardly, pivoting on the hinge ring 11, so as to permit the leads to pass, or releasing same if being held by the grippers, the beveled lower end of the grippers contact with the lower edges 4 of the slots in the guide tube 4, and a slight further downward movement of the parts will cause the grippers to be wedged open, in which position they will be held by reason of their coming into contact with the cone-shaped underside of the member 5 and being; forced apart, the grippers will be forced to closed position and will grip the lead, or if the lead was in the action to re-grip it at a higher point. 4

The construction illustrated and described is much simpler than that disclosed in my above noted prior application and the manufacturing cost is considerably reduced. The substitution of the hingering for the individual hinge pins used in the prior pencil, and the new type of gripper-carrying sleeve in place of that previously used, permits a very considerable reduction in the necessary cost of production. The more or less expensive drilling of the small pin holes in both the grippers and gripper-carrying member is eliminated, as well as the necessity of handling and fastening into place the small pins which in the former model formed the pivot for the grippers. I

. When constructed as in this new model the production of perfect, accurate parts and complete pencils is a simple and comparatively inexpensive matter.

I claim: 4 1. In a magazine lead pencil: a tubular casing in two parts one slidable within the other; a slotted guide tube with an enlarged head thereon the underside of said head cone shaped, mounted concentric in said casing and fastened to one part thereof; a feeding mechanism comprising a sleeve reciprocable on said guide tube and fastened to the other part of said casing, a pair of double armed grippers with cam faces on the lower end thereof, lying in a longitudinal slot in the upper end of said sleeve and held in position by and pivoting on a hinge ring passing through notches formed in the back of said grippers and lying in a circumferential groove formed in said sleeve; an abutment in the path of said grippers adapted to force them open prior to reaching their downward limit of travel; and a spring actuated disc bearing against the lower end of said grippers and normally forcing the upper ends thereof into contact with the cone shaped underside of the head on said guide tube, and said grippers closed.

2. In a magazine lead pencil comprising a tip and a member arranged for movement toward and away from said tip, the combination of'a sleeve mounted on said movable member, the upper end of said sleeve being formed with slotted portions and with a circumferential groove, a pair of jaws fitted into the slotted portions of said sleeve, said jaws being formed with inwardly extending lead gripping portions and with notches in the outer surfaces thereof and a substantially annular hinge ring lying in the groove in said sleeve and passing through said notches to provide a pivot for said grippers.

rocated in response to the movement of said longitudinally movable member, an annular member extending about said grippers and providing a pivot therefor, and means to swing said grippers on said pivot into and out of engagement with a lead at different periods in their cycle of movement to propel a lead step-by-step through the pencil.

4. In a step-by-step pencil, the combination of a longitudinally movable member, a plurality of grippers having lead-gripping sur' faces and arranged to be reciprocated in response to the movement of said longitudinally-movable member, an annular member extending about said grippers intermediate their ends and providing a pivot therefor, means operative on the upper ends of said grippers to swing the lead-gripping surfaces thereof into engagement with a lead when the grippers have reached an upward position, and means operative on the lower end of the grippers toswingv the lead-gripping surfaces thereof out of engagement with the lead when the grippers have reached a downward position.

- 5. In a step-by-step pencil, the combination of a longitudinally movable member, a plurality of lead grippers arranged to be reciprocated in response to the movement of the longitudinally movable member, means for pivotally mounting each of said grippers at one surface thereof, and means to swing said grippers into and out of engagement with the lead at different periods in the cycle of move ment of said grippers to propel a lead step-bystep through the pencil.

6. In a step-by-step pencil, the combination of a longitudinally movable member, a plurality of lead grippers arranged to be reciprocated in response to the movement of the longitudinally movable member, means for pivotally mounting said grippers at their outer surfaces, and means to swing said grippers into and out of engagement with a lead at different periods in the cycle of movement of said grippers to propel the lead step-by-step through the pencil.

7. In a step-by-step pencil mechanism, the combination of a longitudinally movable member, a plurality of lead grippers arranged to be reciprocated in response to the movement of the longitudinally movable member, means freely and pivotally to mount said grippers whereby the same may be removed from the mechanism, and means to swing said grippers into and out of engagement with a lead at different periods in the cycle of movement ofsaid grippers to propel the lead step-by-step rocated in response to the movement of the longitudinally movable member, means freely and pivotally to mount each of said grippers whereby the same may be removed individually for replacement, and means to swing said grippers into engagement with a lead when the grippers are in an upward position and out of engagement with a lead when the grippers are in a downward position.

9. In a step-by-steppencil, the combination of a longitudinally movable member, a plurality of lead grippers, and means removably and pivotally to mount each of said grippers on said longitudinally movable member.

10. In a step-by-step pencil, the combination of a casing, a tubular member removably held within said casing, a plurality of grippers, and means to mount each of said grippers removably on said tubular member to permit disassembling.

11. In a step-by-step pencil, the combination of a slotted lead guide tube, a plurality of grippers extending through the slots in said tube and adapted to grip a lead therein, means for pivotally mounting said grippers between their upper and lower ends, said grippers being formed to provide lead-gripping surfaces adjacent their lower end, an inverted cone fixedly held on said guide tube above said grippers, and adapted to close said grippers when the same are moved thereagainst, means to reciprocate said grippers, means tending to separate said grippers toward the end of their downward movement, and means tending to retain said grippers in either lead-gripping or lead-releasing position until the same are positively swung into the other of said positions.

12. .In a step-by-step pencil, the combination of a casing, a lead-gripping and -feeding unit reciprocable within said casing and comprising a plurality of lead-gripping jaws, a member fixedly connected with said casing and formed with an inclined surface in the path of movement of said gripping unit for causing a lead-gripping action by said jaws.

13. In a step-by-step pencil, the combination of a lead guide-tube, a plurality of grippers movable longitudinally of said tube and adapted to grip and feed forward a lead, means for pivotally mounting said grippers, and a cone-shaped member fixedly secured to said guide-tube in the path of said grippers, said grippers being adapted to be thrust into engagement with the lead when pressed against said cone-shaped member, and means for forcing said grippers normally against said cone-shaped member.

14. In a step-by-step pencil, the combination of a pair of longitudinally movable grippers, and stationary means providing a circular surface above said grippers to cause the latter to grip a lead when moved against said surface. Y

15. In a magazine lead pencil, the combination of means providing a lead magazine, means providing a tip, means to guide a lead between said lead magazine and said tip, a plurality of lead grippers adapted to grip a lead and feed the same forward through said guiding means. means for pivotally mounting each of said grippers at one side thereof, means to reciprocate said grippers, and means to swing said grippers on the pivot provided by the last-mentioned means into and out of engagement with the lead at different periods in the cycle of said grippers.

16. In a step-by-step pencil, the combination of a casing member, a slotted lead guide tube secured thereto, a member movable longitudinally of said casing member, lead grippers extending through the slots in said guide tube, and being movable longitudinally in response to movement of said longitudinally movable member, and a cone immovably secured at the top of said guide tube and extending in the path of said grippers to cause said grippers to grip a lead in said guide tube when the grippers are moved against said cone.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

ALFRED WOELM.

DISCLAIMER 1 ,700,247 .Alfred Woelm,

dated January 29, 1929. Pencil Mechanism Corporation.

Berlin, Germany. MAGAZINE LEAD PFINCIL. Patent Disclaimer filed January 20, 1933, by the assignee,

Hereby enters this disclaimer and disclaims the subject matter of claim 12 of said Letters Patent except when the mechanism claimed is so arranged that no leadgripping action of the jaws is caused until the jaws of-the member fixedly connected with the casing.

[Ofiicial Gazette February 7, 1933.]

contact with the inclined surface 

